Influence of Positive Affect on Physical Health and Psychological Well-Being: Examining the Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience

Abstract

The present article examines the mediating role of psychological resilience in the relationship of positive affect with physical health and psychological well-being. The sample consists of 146 engineering, management and research students with an age range of 17–32 years (M = 22.93, SD = 3.67). Survey method was opted for data collection. Standard psychometric tools were used for collecting data on positive affect, psychological resilience, physical health, and psychological well-being. Positive affect was measured on the ‘Positive Negative Affectivity Scale’ (PANAS) constructed by Watson, Clark and Tellegen (1988). The ‘Ego Resiliency Scale’ by Block and Kremen (1996) was used to measure psychological resilience. Physical health and psychological well-being was assessed on the multi-dimensional health questionnaire proposed by Snell and Johnson (1997) and the psychological well-being scale by Ryff and Keyes (1995), respectively. The results revealed that psychological resilience significantly mediates between positive affect, and physical health and psychological well-being. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed in the light of empirical findings.